Where's My Grandpa?
by JadedJenn
Summary: Luke and Mara's child wonders about his family


Title: Where's my Grandpa?

  


Author: Jennifer Rich

  


Author Email: Jeni81_2000@yahoo.com

  


Category: The New Republic

  


Keywords: Skywalker child, family

  


Spoilers: No real spoilers, unless you didn't know Darth Vader is Luke's real father... :)

  


Rating: PG (maybe G but just to be safe...)

  


Summary: Luke and Mara's child wonders about his family.

  


Disclaimer: I own nothing (unless you count a broken stereo and a impounded car), G-man owns it all (and is going to get it all taken away if he doesn't stop smoking crack! ***i**f you read Boondocks you know what I'm talking about). I'm not making any money off of anything anyway related to SW.

  


Authors Notes: This story is my first fanfic, or actually the first one I've finished and submitted. It is is dedicated to my beautiful little niece Rachel who gave me the idea for this story ( actually part of the idea came from reading the story "They're Dead" by Tanith Shire) and also to my two nephews Cory and Garret. May there parents live long and healthy lives. I'm going to add another authors note at the end if I may. 

GOD SAVE AMERICA!!!

  


"Where's my Grandpa?"

Skywalker Apartment, Coruscant

  


Mara was sitting on the couch next to her son, Ben. The three year old's complete attention was on the holo-album that they had in front of them. Most of them she didn't have to explain.

" That's Anakin! He's little like me!" 

" Yes that's right." She smiled at him. " He's about your age in this one."

This continued on for a while till Luke popped his head into the room from the kitchen. "Dinner's ready!"

Obi-Wan "Ben" Skywalker jumped up and ran at his father's calling. Mara followed him into the room. The table was set with a simple family meal. 

The conversation was fairly typical, if you could call the Skywalker family "typical". Luke asked Mara how her day had been. She had been teaching a group of students lightsaber techniques for most of the afternoon. She asked Luke the same questions. He replied that he had been in meetings with the council most of the day. Then came the most important question of all. 

"Ben? What did you do today?"

Soon after Ben was born the Jedi Temple was rebuilt on Coruscant. Students came from all across the galaxy to train there. The young ones where taught in groups according to age and skill level until they were old enough to be paired with a Master. While most of the students lived together, Ben was allowed to stay with his parents. Still he was taught just like all the other students, there were no playing favorites among the Jedi.

Their son went on to tell them of his days adventures. Aear Ca' man, a small Twi'lek girl, used her powers to levitate a glass of water to herself and got in trouble. They sang a new song in arts class, which he happily resang for them (getting most of the words right). Then came the most exciting part of the day. His best friend Anya Starhunter, a human girl the same age as him, was going to Corellia for a home visit. While some students are orphans, most of them have families and are allowed to communicate with them often and go home for visits when possible. 

"Anya says that she has two older brother's! She says that they play with here and do all sorts of fun things! I wish I had a brother." He didn't dwell on this long, the topic had come up before. "And she told me all about her Grandpa Starhunter! He sounds really neat! He takes her fishing..." That's when he got a puzzled look on his face. "Dad, what's fishing?"

Luke smiled at the boy and explained it to him. "But, Dad, I've never seen any fish in our water." He then looked very carefully at his drinking glass. 

Mara hide a small laugh and then said, "You don't catch fish out of the kind of water you drink. On other planets there are lakes, rivers and oceans of water where fish live."

"Oh." He thought on this for a moment and then went on to the more pressing question on his mind. "Where's my Grandpa? How come I don't have a Grandpa and a Grandma like Anya?"

Luke looked over at his wife. They both knew this question would be coming soon. They had talked about what they would say even before Ben was born. 

"You have two sets of Grandparents. Like most humans, you have your mom's parents and your dad's parents. My mom and dad are gone. I don't even remember them." Mara knew her son was very intellegent but like most children he didn't really grasp the concept of death yet. They had talked about it before but Mara was reluctant to say that her parents were dead. She, after all, didn't really know. 

Ben looked very solemn now, well about as solemn as a three year old can look. His eyes moved from his mother to his father. "Are your mommy and daddy gone too?" 

"My parents both died before you were born, Ben. I never knew my mother. Aunt Leia remembers her a little bit. I met my father once right before he died."

"Where did they all go? Are you's and mommy's mom and dad in the same place?"

Luke's eyes held a quiet sadness that both Mara and his son both picked up on. " The Jedi and I personally believe that when you die you become one with the Force. I'm not sure how to explain that to you but I like to think of it this way. Imagine a place where everything is perfect. A place where there is no meanness, nobody hurts, nobody gets in trouble or does anything bad and everyone is happy all the time. Forever. That's what I think being one with the Force is like."

Ben still looked worried. " Will I get to see them someday? Or are they disappeared?"

Mara took this one on. " Oh yes, you'll see them. But not for a long time. But that doesn't mean we should be sad, because they wouldn't want us to be sad. They are watching us right now and they want to see us happy."

"Really?! They can see us?!"

"Yup." 

"Wow, I guess I better be good." He looked so serious that Mara and Luke had trouble trying not to laugh. 

That was all the child had to say on the topic and they finished there dinner as usual.

***

Later that night Luke was tucking his son into bed when Ben asked, "Dad?"

"Yes Son?"

" Do you think when I see Grandpa, do you think he'll take me fishing?"

  


The End

  


  


Author's notes (part 2) : I just wanted to explain why I wrote this story. My father died on September 15th 2001 (about 6 days ago). My mother died about 7 years before. My 3 year old niece (Rachel, I mentioned her above) never knew her Grandmother. At my father's wake she asked me "Where is your mommy?". I told her she was in Heaven with Grandpa. She accepted this and went on playing. The next day at the funeral my father's casket was set out for viewing before the service. After the service was over and the casket was taken away. My niece was again playing, this time around the area where the casket had been. She looked up at me and asked "Where's my Grandpa?". I told her they took him someplace "special" before he went to Heaven. Just how do you tell your three year old niece they took her Grandpa to be cremated?

  


Thank you for reading my story. Please, tell someone that you care about you love them. If we all learned anything last week it's that your life can change at a moments notice.


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